Honor Across Worlds
by GuardAsh
Summary: Mare Luna was expecting a normal day. Sure, he was about to test a new improvement on the hyper drive, but he was Fleet Admiral, so it was his job to deal with this. He just didn't expect to wind up in the middle of a war in another universe. A part of the Eighth Star universe. Rated T for naval officers and some gory bits.
1. Chapter 1

Hey, everybody! It's been some time since I've been able to actually post things I've written, but I've got quite a few stories to publish. They all link together, but each series doesn't need you to read the rest to understand the rest of them. This one takes place around twenty years after most of the others, and will take place mainly in the Honorverse. Timeline-wise, this story begins just before the Maccabeus coup from _The Honor of the Queen_ , and some of the dialogue is lifted directly from the book.

I do not own the Honor Harrington franchise, MPL:FIM, D&D, Thaumcraft, Pokemon, Godzilla, Legend of Zelda, the Inheritance Cycle, Magic: The Gathering, or The Elder Scrolls franchise.

* * *

Fleet Admiral Sir Mare Luna, His Majesty Archduke-Prince Heir-Apparent to the Royal Throne of the Night, Duke Everfree, Grandmaster of the Lunar Guard, UMC Commodore, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Harmony, CO USN First Fleet, LC, DT (five stripes), PH, PMV, DS (three stripes), Bearer and Avatar of Acceptance and Balance, was in a good mood.

He could hardly believe that it had been fifteen years since he had first arrived (twenty, for most everyone else). So much had changed, and he had now found himself CO of _UNS Luna's Fury_ , the very first superdreadnought that Ungula had commissioned that used gravitic impeller technology, as well as a proposed improvement to the hyper drive.

While he had been the one who had introduced the new technology, the improvements were something even he couldn't have thought of. Even with the descriptions provided from David Weber's novels, producing the components required in large enough numbers, and training enough engineers and crew, still took years, even without all of the failed launches. Enough trips had failed that much of the general population feared space travel, despite all of the redundancy that practically everyone insisted upon including. But finally, all of the construction had been completed, some of the older ships, mainly destroyers, had finished their refits, and First Fleet was ready for its final test-the new hyper generators.

"Admiral Luna, message from planetside." The voice echoed across the bridge, despite the constant chatter of normal goings-on, jerking Mare out of his reverie.

"Put it on my screen," He ordered, his resonant bass cutting through the noise, bringing the frenzied activity to a halt. The screen at his waist came alive with the image of the senior officer at Planetary Traffic Control.

"Admiral Luna, this is Control. First Fleet is cleared for final testing. Good luck, and godspeed," the image said, then the display blanked as the prerecorded message came to an end. Mare smiled.

"Com, send the acknowledgement, then open communications on the all-ships frequency. Helm, prepare for translation," he ordered with a calm voice, despite the building excitement.

"All-ships communication open, Sir."

Mare nodded, then squared himself and looked at the pickup. "To all units of First Fleet, this is Admiral Luna. Prepare for alpha translation on my mark." He paused, waiting for his chronometer to turn over, each second feeling like an eternity. Then, the moment came. "Mark!"

The humming that eternally pervaded the ship deepened into a basso growl, as the hyper generators awoke from their slumber, warming up as they prepared to lift the ships into h-space with their power. Mare felt the onset of nausea, as his inner ear detected the movement of his body "upwards" over a distance with no physical manifestation. Up until this point, everything was going quite well.

Suddenly, Mare's stomach lurched, and the ship shuddered as if struck by a giant's fist. A warning light flashed on Mare's console, and he fell into darkness.

* * *

Mare groaned as he picked himself up off of the floor, glancing around. Nobody seemed hurt, but naval officers didn't take unnecessary risks with the health of their crew. Sliding back into his chair, he called out, "Sound off by station! Astro?"

"All's well!" Lieutenant Acrylic Storm, a slate-grey thestral, swiftly replied. Mare had met her during his first visit to Ungula, and they had worked together quite often since. BuPers had given Mare a crew he knew well.

Mare tapped a stud on his chair. "CIC, this is Flag. Damage report."

"Flag, this is Chief Xilian. No casualties, no damage. All systems nominal." Mare had asked Xilian if he wanted to act as the head of the Combat Information Center, and he had agreed, so long as he got to keep a personal record of the information.

Mare nodded, releasing the stud. "Com?"

"All fine, Sir," Commander Whirring Cogs replied. A former member of the Blue Hive, Cogs had defected after the disastrous wedding invasion, and Mare had helped him deal with some strange nightmares afterwards. His empathic abilities allowed him to pick up if Mare would react well to the message, and he was also very good at improvising in his orders.

Mare pressed another stud. "Damage Control, this is Flag. Report." _Should've called them first,_ he remanded himself.

"Flag, this is Commander Frost. No casualties, here or anywhere else, 'sides from some light bruisin' in th' Marines. Gunny's gonna have his hands full. Engineering reports the generator's offline; thing's still cyclin'. Gonna be roundabout twelve hours 'till we can jump again, at least with the upgrades. Normal capability's gonna be back in nine minutes, but Master Chief Cross says don't mess with anything."

"Understood, Commander. Luna clear." Mare released the stud, then frowned. Twelve hours was well over sixty times normal cycle time for a hyper generator, though the drive was untested, so there were bound to be some kinks to work out. He turned back to Cogs. "Com, check in with the rest of the fleet."

"Yes, sir." A moment passed as replies trickled in from the three other superdreadnoughts, twelve battlecruisers, sixteen heavy and light cruisers, and twenty-four destroyers that made up the fleet. "All ships report no casualties, but a couple of the tin-cans seem to have lost some nodes. They think the problems are somewhere within the control runs, but they're not sure. _Twilight_ 's got a feed problem in Missile Three; it seems like they've lost power to the counter-grav. Other than that, no major problems." Mare grimaced. Node losses were troublesome; they always meant reduced accelerations until they were fixed. Thankfully, it was only the destroyers; they could accelerate almost two hundred g's faster than any SD, so a few lost nodes didn't make much difference in the short term-if they were all betas. If they had lost an alpha, then they were stuck until it was fixed, as the ship would tear itself to shreds if it entered a grav wave without them able to generate a sail. There was a brief pause, as all of the officers on the bridge digested the information. "Sir, we're receiving a transmission. And it's not from any of our ships. Approximate bearing zero-five-niner, one-zero-three; approximate distance to transmitter, one-three point niner light-minutes, judging from signal strength. No encryption."

"What? That's impossible, there's nothing in h-space to receive a transmission from! Tac, what's going on?" Mare sputtered, mind spinning like a top on a turntable.

"I'm not sure, Two, but we're getting signals from over twenty-five light-minutes away, which means we're not in hyper. That place hashes sensors at around twenty light-minutes, remember? Besides which, I'm picking up several planets, at least one inhabited, and lots of in-system activity. Lots of impeller wedges, at least thirty, probably more," Lieutenant Commander Meredith Aerowyne, _UNS Luna's Fury_ 's senior tactical officer replied. 'Two' was her nickname for Mare, taken from his position in the guild the two of them led, with Mare being the second-in-command, after Meredith. Despite their actual ranking, Mare was _de facto_ leader more often than not, so Meredith didn't mind his being in command of her. He had placed her in Tactical because she was one of the best tacticians he knew. "Some of them look like warships. I'm guessing two cruisers, a tin-can, and a dozen LACs. Probably more; I can't tell much from this distance."

"Hmm." Mare steepled his fingers over his nose, contemplating the situation. "Astro, I want you to plot a course for zero-zero intercept of the inhabited planet, max accel three hundred gees, but do not execute. Com, put the transmission on my screen." Mare squared himself as the image of a woman, Oriental in facial structure with a strange-looking catlike animal on one shoulder, appeared on his screen.

"Unknown ships, this is Captain Honor Harrington, Royal Manticoran Navy. Identify yourselves and declare your intentions. You have two hours from the receipt of this message to either stand down, identify yourselves, or cease violating Grayson territory. If you fail to comply with these instructions, you will be attacked with lethal force. Harrington, clear." The display blanked, and Mare sighed.

"Wonderful. Com, record for transmission."

"Yes, sir. Live mike."

Mare looked at the pickup. "Captain Harrington, this is Fleet Admiral Mare Luna, CO, First Fleet, Ungulan Space Navy. I apologize for violating any territorial space; we were testing a new hyper drive when it malfunctioned, so we're pretty much stuck here for another twelve hours, until our generator cycles the modifications. We will cut our drives and wait for further instructions. Luna, clear."

"On the chip, sir."

"Send it, Com. Instruct all ships to cut their drives until instructed otherwise, as well."

"Yes, sir."

The minutes slowly ticked by as Mare's message raced across the void, and the reply sped back. Finally, it arrived, and Harrington's face appeared on the screen once more.

"Admiral Luna, this is Harrington. Your message is received and understood. Bring your ships into orbit, and we'll look at your drives. I've never heard of any 'Ungulan Space Navy', but I'm sure whatever we can do to help will be done. I apologize for any presumed hostility; the locals have spent the last few centuries under threat from religious fanatics, and my home system of Manticore is currently in a state of tension with the People's Republic of Haven." Harrington's voice soured on the last bit, and Mare could tell the so-called "People's Republic" was anything but a republic. "We just suffered a devastating attack from the aforementioned fanatics, so I'm sure you can understand any wariness on our part. Again, bring your ships in, and we'll discuss anything you need. Harrington, clear."

Mare sighed in relief. "Com, acknowledge receipt. Helm, take us on the course Astro set."

"Aye, aye, sir!" echoed across the bridge.

* * *

Several hours later, _UNS Luna's Fury_ was in a parking orbit around the inhabited planet, Grayson according to Captain Harrington. Mare had taken a pinnace over to Harrington's ship, _HMS Fearless_ , to greet her personally. "Swimming" through the null-G docking tube, he grasped the red grab bar that he recognised indicated the interface to shipboard gravity, though the USN used OSHA-standardized yellow-and-black warning stripes for the same purpose on its own ships. Bosun's pipes twittered, and the honor guard of Marines came to attention. Mare saluted to the executive officer standing to attention.

"Admiral Luna, requesting permission to come aboard?" Mare asked in the ancient formality.

"Permission granted, Admiral Luna," a familiar cool soprano echoed through the bay. Mare turned to the speaker, and the first thing he noticed about her was her height. She had to be at least a hundred seventy centimetres tall, probably almost a hundred ninety, he told himself. Then, he saw the eyes, the white beret, and the "cat" on her shoulder.

"Captain Harrington, a pleasure to meet you," Mare murmured. "May I introduce you to my flag captain, Captain Jade Luna?" He gestured to the woman who had just emerged from the tube behind him. She was a good five centimetres taller than Mare, with a lean, powerful build and streaks of red and cream laced throughout her silky brown hair, and the bright green eyes that were her namesake. "Captain Luna, this is Captain Honor Harrington."

"A pleasure, Miss Harrington," Jade's penetrating mezzo alto cut through the still-twittering pipes.

"Of course," Harrington replied. Mare didn't hear any sort of waver in her voice, but his 'ling senses told another story. He could taste the worry, sealed beneath an iron shell of duty, and respect for his bravery. There was also anger, _powerful_ anger, but it was caged with bars of steel, so strong that it seemed unbreakable. And yet there was joy, and love, directed to… the "cat"? Perplexed, Mare shifted his focus to the (hexapedal, he noticed) feline-esque being on Harrington's shoulder.

The first thing Mare noticed about the "cat" was bright joy, much like Pinkie's, though slightly less… wild, he figured was the best word for it. There was curiosity, and… disapproval? Directed at him? Mare shook his head internally, as there was also a "get-out-of-my-head" feeling directed at him, slightly out of his usual telepathic "frequency" range of receipt. Mare did his best to align himself with the message, then blinked in surprise.

{You are not of the People, yet you are not mind-blind. How?}

{Ah…} Mare telepathically stammered, then looked at Honor. "Your… cat… Sorry, can't think of anything better to call it… Did you know he's telepathic?"

Honor blinked in surprise, but swiftly regained her composure. "You figured that out from a glance? Yes, Nimitz is telepathic, and empathic, as well. And we do refer to them as 'cats."

Mare sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I'm… slightly telempathic, myself. Several of my crew members are, in fact. I'm not able to telepathically communicate with anyone who's not already telepathic," he said, anticipating Honor's question, "But I can sense the emotions of pretty much anything sentient, which is how I anticipated the question you were about to ask."

Honor frowned, then nodded in thought. "I see. And, unfortunately, I can't show you around the ship at the moment, as I'm due for a formal dinner planetside with the local planetary head of state in a few hours, so I can't stay up here much longer. I'm certain my exec, Lieutenant Commander Venezilos, would be willing to give you a tour, if you want, however."

Jade nodded. "I'd like to see what you've got. Our ships are brand-new designs, so I'd like to see what a more established design looks like, if that's okay with you, dear?" She winked at Mare.

"Go for it, honey," Mare chuckled, then frowned. Captain Harrington had let slip she was visiting a local head of state, and Mare wanted to visit him (or her), but he wasn't sure how to phrase what he wanted to say.

 _Improvise. That's what you do best, after all._

 _Right. Thanks, Nyx,_ Mare "said" to the being in his mind, internally grinning wryly. He cleared his throat to get Honor's attention. "Actually, Ma'am, before I was a Navy man, I acted as a diplomat for my nation, and I'm nobility as well. A duke, in fact. Do you think it would be inappropriate for me to accompany you to this dinner? I've never had the chance to meet a planetary head of state aside from my own, so this would serve as an opportunity for the two of us. Also, I'd prefer for my world's first impression on you to not be a bunch of incompetent, bumbling fools with no sense of kindness or welcome." He let out a lighthearted chuckle. "In fact, one of our major virtues is our tendency to hold out the olive branch rather than the arrow. So, if it would be alright with you?"  
Honor gazed off in contemplation, and Mare tasted the swirl of her emotions as she reached a decision.

"All right," she said at last. "Just try not to do anything that would embarrass myself or Manticore. And be polite!"

Mare let out a chuckle. "Oh, I will!"


	2. Chapter 2

I had to make a couple of edits to the last chapter after one of my collaborators, namely the one who made Meredith, told me I was spelling her surname wrong. For anyone who was wondering, the pronounciation is the same (AIR-whinny). Also, I had the wrong number of ships in each unit, so I fixed that. I also forgot to refer to Jade by her LAST name when she was introduced. I've corrected those. Also, PLEASE review. I NEED reviewers so I know that I'm writing good stories. Word of warning, this chapter will be the first that contains actual text from the original novel, but that won't last long, thanks to the Butterflies of Doom. There will also be profanity.

* * *

She was certainly a _big_ woman.

That was Benjamin Mayhew's first thought as Captain Harrington was ushered into the sitting room, but he changed it almost instantly. She wasn't so much "big" as "tall." The man that accompanied her was of a much more reasonable height, at least for a Grayson. Still, Benjamin was a bit surprised that the man was with her, as the late Admiral Yanakov had told him that Admiral Corvousier said she didn't need a protector, and the man was in a different uniform, so who _was_ he?

Captain Fox, the head of his personal Security detachment, was irked by Harrington's size, as well as the fact that she had brought some six-legged, cream-and-grey creature completely undiscussed. Benjamin had used the Palace surveillance system to view her arrival, and she'd simply shown up with the beast on her shoulder, along with the man. He hadn't quite been able to suppress a grin as she ignored Fox's hints that they might be unwelcome, and she'd simply given Fox a look much like the one nannies reserved for rambunctious boys not yet out of the nursery.

Benjamin rose from his chair as his guards escorted the duo across the room to him, and they paused. Harrington removed her beret, and he recognized the respect in the gesture, but many of his guards flinched as her close-cropped hair was exposed. Even with all the freedoms women had today, at least compared those from Masada, they were still forbidden by tradition from having uncovered heads in the presence of men. Besides, no Grayson woman would wear her hair _that_ short!

Her companion was older. He looked around forty, so Benjamin estimated him to be around ninety, with a likely premature streak of silver hair over his left ear. He gave a bow of respect, along with a "Your Grace" in a penetrating baritone.

"Good evening, Captain Harrington. And guest," Benjamin quickly added, nodding to the stranger. He allowed himself an ironic smile. "So kind of you to come."

"Thank you, Protector Mayhew," Harrington replied, giving Benjamin a firm handshake, although he got the impression her grip was carefully restrained. "May I introduce Admiral Mare Luna of the... Ungulan Space Navy, I believe you said?"

"Yes, that's right, Captain Harrington," her companion said,surprising Benjamin with his deference to her, despite his rank. "Protector... Mayhew, I believe it was, I thank you for allowing me to attend. To tell the truth, this is my world's first excursion beyond its system limit, and as our hyper generators seem to have malfunctioned and locked themselves up, we're stuck here, so I'm trying very hard not to screw up. May any relationship we create be a happy one." He gave a short bow, and Benjamin nodded back.

"And the same to you, Admiral Luna." Benjamin turned and headed down the hall, gesturing for the two to accompany him. "I thought I'd introduce my family to you before we dine, Captain Harrington, Admiral Luna," he continued as they paced down the hallway. "My younger brother Michael is particularly interested in meeting you. He holds a bachelor's degree from Anderman University on New Berlin, and is hoping to pursue graduate work on Manticore if negotiations go well."

"I certainly hope he'll be able to, Protector," Harrington replied, using her tone to indicate that she'd caught the clue.

The group entered the dining room, and two of the guard detachment took station outside the door while the rest unobtrusively positioned themselves in the four corners of the room. Harrington didn't seem to pay much attention, but Admiral Luna noticed and nodded respectfully to them. Captain Fox took up his usual position next to Benjamin's chair, and then the rest of the Mayhews arrived.

"Allow me to introduce my wives, Admiral Luna, Captain Harrington," he said. "My first wife, Katherine."

"Madam Mayhew," Mare said, bowing. "A pleasure."

"My second wife, Elaine."

"Madam Mayhew."

"My children are all in bed, I'm afraid, but I can introduce you to my brother and heir, Michael, Steadholder Mayhew."

"Steadholder...?" Mare seemed confused, and Harrington cleared her throat.

"Think of it like a duke," she explained.

"Ah," Mare said in realization. "Well, then, Lord Mayhew, it's a pleasure to meet you. I certainly hope cordial relations can be established between my world and others, starting with yours. From what I've seen so far, this is a beautiful world. I'd hate to be at war with anyone."

"Of course, Admiral. I hope so too. Captain Harrington," Michael Mayhew spoke, grinning like a young boy, "I certainly hope you'll be kind enough to let me tour your ship before you return to Manticore, if that would be permissable?"

Harrington's eyes gleamed. "I'm sure something could be arranged," she said, and Benjamin shook his head as servants began to arrive.

"I see you've made at least one convert, Captain Harrington. I'm certain that if Bernard were in my brother's position, he would say the same thing," he said, eyes narrowing in sadness as he remembered the cousin who gave his life to save their fleet.

Harrington bowed her head in rememberance. "I regret I didn't get the chance to get to know High Admiral Yanakov very well. Lord Mayhew, but from what Ambassador Langtry's told me, he and Admiral Courvosier were quite close. I believe Admiral Courvosier had the greatest respect for him, and I hope to have the chance to let you evaluate _Fearless_ 's abilities for yourself."

The Protector leaned back in his chair as he allowed servants to pour wine, amiling inside. Harrington seemed nothing like the challenging woman he'd thought she was when she issued her "ultimatum". He'd suspected - or hoped, really - that the Council's fears were exaggerated; now, he was certain of it. He blinked in surprise when Admiral Luna politely declined the wine, but the feeling didn't last long once he explained that he abstained from most alcoholic beverages due to personal philosophy.

As the servants placed the final appetizers before the diners, Benjamin Mayhew bowed his head in thanks... and not just for the meal, alone.

* * *

Mare smiled as the meal progressed. He had expected somethin like a formal dinner, with all of the protocol, diplomatic niceties, proper expression, and all the rest of the bits of diplomacy he disliked, but to his surprise, the atmosphere mas much mre like some of the private dinners he had with Aunt Celestia or Lord Aerowynne. It was quite relaxed, aside form the unobtrusive bodyguards in the corners, but they were not entirely unexpected. After all, if this "Protector" position was that of a head of state, it had to be quite important. Harrington ate politely but ravenously; her ability to pack food into her mouth was surprising, though not astonishing - he had seen Pinkie eat more in a shorter time (though Pinkie's abilities still defied logic and explanation).

And yet, despite the lighthearted atmosphere, Mare felt a tension in his gut. That felling warned of disaster, and it had never been wrong. The further the meal progressed, the stronger the tension got, up until the point where Mare had put all of his senses on high alert. His ears were tuned to the slightest of sounds, and his eyes flickered around the room, searching for the smallest hint of danger. If _anything_ happened, he would know.

After some time, the meal wound to a close. Servants removed the empty dessert dishes (Honor had taken thirds to fill her up), then withdrew, leaving the guests alone with the family and guards. Benjamin leaned back in his chair and regarded his guests thoughtfully.

"Why do I expect, Captain Harrington, that the, um, persuasion you used to 'request' this meeting was a bit... overstated, shall we say?"

Mare was slightly surprised. "Overstated? What did you do, issue an ultimatum?"

Honor chuckled. "Yes, actually. To be fair, I figured I would need an argument to catch his attention."

"Well, you found one, I assure you," Mayhew said dryly. "Now that you have it, however, what, precisely, can I do for you?"

"My request is twofold. First, I need the cooperation of your high command if I am to employ my squadron effectively in the defense of Grayson. I have been denied that cooperation, and however able and determined your commanders are - and I am certain they are quite competent - they aren't sufficiently familiar with my ships' capabilities to make the best use of them. Commander Brentworth is a fine liason officer, but Admiral Garret has issued orders that make very poor use of my vessels, and he refuses to discuss them with me."

"After all Admiral Courvosier and _Madrigal_ did for us?" Lord Mayhew exploded, glaring at his brother. "I told you Garret didn't know his ass from his elbow, Ben! He's not going to admit we need those ships if it means he has to take orders from a _woman_! Cousin Bernie always said-"

"Yes, Mike, I know," Benjamin interrupted his brother, and Mare tasted the spike of sorrow in the brothers. They and Bernard Yanakov must have been very close to produce such profound grief, he reasoned, for the emotion struck a chord in him. Benjamin's gaze settled squarely and unwaveringly on Honor. "I take it one of the reasons for this meeting was to ask me to order Admiral Garret to cooperate with you?"

"Moer or less, although the other reason didn't appear until after I made the request, Sir," she replied.

"You mean 'more' more than 'less', I suspect. If I direct him to cooperate, he'll listen, at least officially, but he's not going to forget you went over his head to get it, Captain. He's not prepared to work with you; my impetuous, big-mouthed brother's right about that-" Mare tasted the brotherly annoyance between the two, and smiled internally as he was reminded of his own brother. "-which means I'll have to relieve him."

Honor spoke quietly. "You know the Admiral better than I, Sir."

"Yes, I do, and it's a pity he's so set in his ways," Benjamin murmured, then stroked his cheek and nodded. "Very well, Captain. Admiral Garret will cease to be a problem." He looked at his brother. "You're the one who's so informed on naval affairs, Mike. Who's the next most senior officer we've got left?"

"With command experience, or on the staff?"

"Command experience."

"Commodore Matthews, unless you want to bring someone out of retirement," Lord Mayhew said without hesitation, "and he's a good one, Ben." He smiled almost shyly at Honor. "You won't have any problems working with _him_ , Ma'am."

Honor sighed in relief, and Benjamin smiled at her.

"I gather you're not accustomed to high-stakes diplomacy?"

"No, sir, I certainly am not," she replied with feeling, and Mare boggled at her.

"What? You're kidding." At her answering shake of the head, his eyes grew even wider, if that was possible. "That was better than some of my best moments, and I've been doing this sort of thing for years!"

"Which is especially surprising, considering the political climate here on Grayson. Have either of you heard of Commodore Perry?"

Mare blinked at the apparent _non sequitur_ , but responded anyway. "Commodore Matthew Perry? The guy that began the Meiji Restoration that pulled Japan into modern culture around the mid eighteen hundreds Common Era? Oliver Perry's cousin? Yeah, I know him. Why?"

Benjamin looked at him. "You see, Grayson is much like Japan was then, except we've been looking for someone - anyone! - to drag us into the present for two centuries, now, but the Council is trying to keep their power base intact, including domestic policies - treatment of women included."

Mare frowned. From what he'd heard, women were treated exceptionally well here on Grayson, aside from naval officers, at least. "What do you mean by 'the treatment of women'? From what I can tell, women are treated with the utmost respect here. Why would they think you want to change that?"

Mayhew's eyes bored into Mare's, and Mare recognized the gaze of a ruler's judgement, having felt it countless times before. "I know you likely had only a short briefing, so I'll fill you in on this. Women on Grayson have no political rights. They aren't allowed to vote, take a job other than wife, maid, or housekeeper, attend school, or serve in the military. No matter how respectful the treatment, I know better. That is why I invited Captain Harrington to dinner - to show that women are strong enough to do things that most anyone on Grayson would consider 'too harsh' for them to bear. To be Grayson's-"

Mare's attention wavered as two pairs of uniformed Security men entered the room. He held up a hand as the men began to cross. "Benjamin..." he began to speak, but trailed off as one of the men in the first pair held out a dispatch case to Captain Fox.

The room exploded into a flurry of motion, so many things happening almost at once that it would've been impossible for any normal human to process. Mare thrust himself out of his chair at the man with the case, hurling him into a wall with a palm strike, just as Nimitz catapulted from his stool with a sound like tearing canvas, burying his claws knuckle-deep into the other man's eyes after sinking the rest of his centimetre-long claws bone-deep into the "guard"'s shoulder blades. The real bodyguards, though reacting slower than usual from surprise, due both to Mare's actions and the treecat's size, still worked quickly, bone-deep reactions set in stone by training driving them. Captain Fox shoved his charge under the table with one hand and went for his pistol with the other, and Michael pushed his sisters-in-law under the table, shielding them with his own body. Mare only peripherally noticed, because he was focused entirely on the emotions and thoughts of the impostors; the tension in his gut had spiked the moment the "guard" had reached out with the case. To his surprise, Honor had lashed out as well, striking the impostor closest to Benjamin, though her blows were much more forceful. The fourth newcomer had enough time to draw his weapon, and he fired at point-blank range into Fox's chest.

The handgun the "guard" was holding whined and then let out an axelike _thud_ , sending the Security captain flying across the room, his weapon half-drawn, until he slammed into Benjamin, limp as a ragdoll. Mare flinched from the percussive aftershock, then Shouted at the killer.

 _"FUS... RO DAH!"_

A wave of pure force crashed up out of his throat, hurling the killer through the air until he slammed into a wall, where he slumped to the ground, dazed. More whining shots sounded in the hall, with a single explosive crack from a normal pistol mixed in. A horde of fresh "Security" men charged in, all armed with those odd pistols, and Honor snatched a heavy, circular metal tray from the table and hurled it like a frisbee at the lead man. Mare belatedly sent several bolts of force at the other men with a flick of his own wrist, aiming to disarm or incapacitate the newcomers, but the confused tangle that occurred after the lead man fell caused several of the bolts to miss their intended targets and strike more dangerous areas, and chaos became total as the Protectors bodyguards finally realized who the real enemy was.

Gunfire tore across the room, bullets crisscrossing the "bolts" from the impostors. Bodies fell on both sides, and Mare had to be careful not to accidentally kill a real guard, even with his unique abilities. He cursed to himself as the last of the Protector's guards fell, despite his best efforts, and unleashed a flurry of strikes on another imposter, leaving him for later as he wheeled to face the main body of the enemy. Honor was surrounded by the intruders, somehow nearly unhurt despite the bolts of sound filling the air around her, but Mare could tell that they would be overwhelmed eventually, unless he did something to even the odds.

 _Let's see how much you like_ un _armed combat,_ he thought, then Shouted once more. _"ZUN... HAAL VIIK!"_ he cried, then grinned as the weapons were torn from the assassins' hands, leaving the would-be killers helpless against the off-worlders. He coughed a few times, as Shouting twice in quick succession was asking for trouble, unless you were a dragon or had decades' worth of training, and Mare was still working on the latter. Fortunately for him, the worst he was looking at was a sore throat for the next few hours, thanks to the previous training he had undertaken. _Disarm_ normally affected allies just as much as enemies, but it couldn't strip natural weapons, and martial artists were effectively immune to the effects, given that they tended to be good at fighting without weapons.

At last, almost all of the assassins were either dead, blinded, or unconscious, and the real guards broke past the barricade at the door. Mare relaxed his guard slightly and turned to look at Honor, then stiffened.

" _Look out!"_

Honor reflexively turned to follow his gaze, and was struck in the face with a bolt of solid sound, crumpling to the floor in pain. The last remaining assassin had retrieved a weapon from the floor and fired it at the Naval officer. He swung the pistol towards her chest, and then his own chest erupted into a bloody mess as Benjamin discharged the entire magazine of Fox's autopistol into him.

The man collapsed onto Honor, and Mare slumped into a chair that was miraculously both upright and free of any debris. Honor was in stable condition - he could tell that much, thank the Divines - and nobody else was trying to shoot at anybody important. As the adrenaline rush left him, Mare sank into a dreamless sleep to wash away his exhaustion.


End file.
